After fraught negotiations between the EU Parliament and foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton over the set-up of the European External Action Service (EEAS), MEPs are now preparing for a final vote on the service in July. The final compromise proposes that the EEAS will have around 8,000 staff, only 40 per cent of whom will be temporary diplomats from member states, and its own separate administrative budget of €9.5 million for 2010, which will be subject to parliamentary oversight.

Ms Ashton has conceded that MEPs must be consulted in the process of senior appointments to EU missions abroad. The EEAS will have its own administrative budget, subject to parliamentary oversight, while operational expenditure will remain with the European Commission, where it is already subject to parliamentary oversight.

As regards the division of competences between the new service and the Commission — strategic country planning is to become the role of the EEAS while ultimate programming decisions for external assistance will continue to be made by the Commission. Geographical desks in the service are not to be duplicated in the Commission.

While MEPs have gained ground in the negotiations, some are still dissatisfied with the final compromise.

Ingeborg Grässle MEP voiced concern over how the heads of EU delegations abroad will be held accountable for supervising the spending of Commission funds, such as development assistance, and has demanded that these heads submit an annual statement on the funds spent by their delegations.

Sources:

• EUobserver
• European Voice

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